Record Affinity Management

Key Points

Record Affinities ensure staff with the correct skills are matched with participants who require those skills.

Affinities are built using staff skill checklists and participant need checklists.

Configuration requires three components:

Access rights

Lookup definitions

Affinity rules

Rules determine whether requirements are optional or mandatory during rostering.

Affinity matching is automatically applied when staff and participants are scheduled together.

Access Requirements

Before configuring Record Affinities, users must have the appropriate system rights.

To check who has access:

1. Go to System Menu

2. Select Rights

3. Search for Record Affinity

User groups must have the right ‘record_affinity’ enabled to:

Access Record Affinity management

Create new affinity rules

Modify existing configurations

If this right is not available, a system administrator will need to enable it for your role.

Preparing Staff and Participant Checklists

Record Affinities rely on matching information between staff and participants.

Two checklists must exist in the system:

Staff skills checklist
Participant needs checklist

These checklists define the criteria used to determine whether staff can support a participant.

Staff Skills

Staff profiles should include a skills or certification form.

Example fields may include:

First Aid certification
PEG feeding training
Medication administration
Behaviour support training

These checklists allow administrators to record which staff members have completed specific training.

Expiry dates can also be added to track when certifications must be renewed.

This helps ensure rostering only matches currently qualified staff with participant needs.

Participant Needs

Participant profiles should include a needs checklist.

This is typically located within sections such as:

Health
Support requirements
Clinical needs

These fields define the specific support requirements for the participant.

For example:

PEG feeding support
Manual handling assistance
Behaviour support

Once selected, these requirements will trigger matching rules during rostering.

Accessing Record Affinity Management

Once the checklists are prepared, Record Affinities can be configured.

To access the configuration area:

1. Open Record Management

2. Select Record Affinities

This area contains two main configuration sections:

Lookups –

 Rules – 

Creating Lookups

Lookups define what data the system searches for when evaluating affinities.

Each affinity rule requires two lookups:

Participant requirement lookup
Staff skill lookup

Participant Lookup

To create a participant lookup:

1. Open Lookups

2. Select Add Lookup

   

3. Set the Section to Participants

4. Select the relevant participant form

5. Choose the field representing the participant need

   

Example configuration:

Section: Participants
Form: Participant Needs
Field: PEG Feeding
Condition: Equals
Value: Yes

The lookup now identifies participants who require PEG feeding support.

Optional Valid From and Valid To dates can also be configured if needed.

Staff Lookup

Next, create the matching staff lookup.

1. Click Add Lookup
   
   

2. Set Section to Staff

3. Select the staff skills form

4. Choose the corresponding skill field

   

Example configuration:

Section: Staff
Form: Staff Skills
Field: PEG Feeding
Condition: Equals
Value: Yes

Staff lookups can also reference expiry dates.

If a certification expires, the system will automatically treat the staff member as no longer qualified until the skill is updated.

Creating Record Affinity Rules

Once both lookups are created, they must be linked together using a Rule.

To create a rule:

1. Go to Rules

2. Select Add Rule

Configure the following:

Rule Name
Active status
Participant requirement lookup
Staff satisfaction lookup

Example:

Configuring Resource Matching

Rules also determine how many staff must meet the requirement during rostering.

Two matching options are available:

All shift resources must match
At least one resource must match

All Resources Must Match

Every staff member assigned to the shift must meet the requirement.

This option is used for situations where all staff must hold the qualification.

At Least One Resource Must Match

Only one staff member on the shift must meet the requirement.

This is commonly used when:

A specialised skill is required

Only one trained staff member is needed on shift

Setting Warning Levels

Each rule can be configured with a warning level.

Two options are available:

Optional
Mandatory

Optional Rules

Optional rules provide guidance but do not block rostering.

Managers can still assign staff even if the requirement is not satisfied.

Mandatory Rules

Mandatory rules enforce the requirement.

The roster will flag an error if the required staff qualification is not present.

This ensures compliance with participant care requirements.

Testing Record Affinities on the Roster

After creating and activating a rule, it can be tested on the roster.

To test the rule:

1. Navigate to the Roster Schedule

2. Create a shift for a staff member

3. Add a participant with the defined requirement

When the participant is added, the Record Affinity indicator will appear.

Clicking this icon displays:

Participant requirements
Staff skills
Whether the requirement has been satisfied
Skill expiry dates

If the requirement is satisfied, the system confirms that the staff member meets the criteria.

Managing Existing Rules

Affinity rules can be updated or disabled at any time.

Administrators can:

Deactivate rules

Modify lookup relationships

Update rule settings

Change visual indicators or icons

This flexibility allows organisations to adjust affinity rules as operational requirements evolve.

Best Practice Recommendations

✔ Use consistent naming for lookups (e.g., Staff – PEG Feeding)
✔ Maintain up-to-date staff skill records
✔ Include expiry tracking for certifications
✔ Use mandatory rules for compliance-critical skills
✔ Test affinity rules before applying them broadly
✔ Regularly review rules to ensure they reflect operational requirements

Summary

Record Affinities in FlowLogic ensure that staff with the correct qualifications are matched with participants who require those skills.

The setup process involves:

Creating staff and participant checklists

Defining lookups for each requirement

Creating rules that link those lookups together

Once configured, the system automatically evaluates these rules during rostering, helping organisations maintain safe, compliant, and well-matched staff assignments.